Bullied Bully
by OctavCat
Summary: A quick little idea that shot up in my head about a universe where Neville somehow gets sent in the past, meets his parents... and assists the Marauders’ era, the fight towards Snape. This fanfic focuses on... the scene in Snape’s Worst Memory. Not a full story. Universe to JK Rowling


Neville hurried to the mass, shouting « What's happening ? », but soon, he recognized the sounds as laughter. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all, how it reminded him of... of the Slytherins mocking him in the dungeons. It wasn't even the teasing giggles given by his comrades at Gryffindor. It was harsh, menacing, and he heard yelling in the center. A girl shoved past him, he stumbled, saw something shift behide the crowd, but he made it past the circle of observers and...

Neville's eyes widened in horror. A student was struggling in mid-air, as though dragged up by his ankles, and his robes falling on the face, revealing a greyish underwear. He had just enough time to register the scene when he heard : « Who wants me to take off Snivelly's pants ? »

_What ?_ That had been James's voice right there, fulled with malice as he had never heard before. Right then, the crowd began to encourage them, shooting, clapping their hands. And soon, Neville heard a clear chant :

« Snivellus Snape! Snivellus Snape! Snivellus Snape! »

The scene suddenly slowed down before Neville's eyes. He couldn't be mistaken. The boy, whose face was covered up, though we could guess some pink skin due to being hung up upside-down, was his most feared professor's younger self. That had happened. The professor, professor Snape, had been... had had his underwear shown to everyone, surrounded by a circle of dozens of Hogwarts students. Even some Slytherins were grinning here and there. Had Neville changed the past? Was it his fault? No... No. In the dorms, James and Sirius were clearly mocking a certain Snivellus. « Snivellus » had been the name of the boy he encountered, beaten and robes torn off, sometimes found in the Infirmary. He was also his own Boggart, Snape.

« Come on! Louder! » Sirius's voice was heard.

Something clenched in Neville's chest. He had to act fast. His heart, he realised, was pumping loudly. He couldn't bear the sight of someone getting humiliated. It struck a cord within him. Yet...

What were the prefects doing? Surely they would help him...

Why would he help Snape? He didn't want to get humiliated himself... He was going to get beaten up... And yet...

He pushed past someone and put himself in front of the Slytherin, standing high despite his jelly legs and shielding the view of the underwears as much as he could with his arms. He hated himself for it, he didn't understand himself, except for the fact it was the right thing to do. He heard some students insulting him: « Get out! Idiot! Stop it! Oooyy! » They wanted him to leave, and Neville really wanted to as well! Yet his body was now irresponsive, frozen and shaking. He heard Snape shuffle behide him, groaning to get himself free. Slowly, he lifted his gaze towards the line of three adolescents, the handsome ones, the popular group. He was nothing next to a Potter and a Black and a Pettigrew. He had been stupid enough not to draw his own wand to confront them, then again, he would have been crushed. The bullied outcast was making a fool of himself in front of them because he couldn't bear the sight of humiliation, as it reminded his own condition... He could have taken his revenge on Snape though. He shouldn't mess with the past. But... But a true Gryffindor wouldn't do that, right? His parents were there — he hoped they weren't laughing. They would want him to fight and help the poor, defend the weak. In no other context would he have thought Snape as poor and weak, yet life truly offered surprises, as it was exactly what he saw. Snape wasn't Neville, but they had that in common.

« Hey, » James barked at him, and he flinched slightly, « what are you doing? Leave him alone. »

« Why are you doing this?! » Neville croaked out.

« That's not your business. Come on, Longbottom, get aside and let us do the rest. You'll see, you'll get a good laugh. This Death Eater deserves some punishment after all. »

« Why would you defend him anyway? » Sirius asked. « I heard you were terrified of him. This git causes problems after problems, and we will fix it. »

« That's not right... »

James and Sirius's brow went further on their faces, annoyed. Neville found himself shaking his head. He had whispered and stammered, and they asked to repeat what he had just said — or maybe it was because they just couldn't believe the meaning of it. In either way, Neville finally had a glance at his right, and found the glittering of a Prefect badge upon his professor's — Remus Lupin's robes.

« You! » he called, « Why aren't you coming? You must do something! »

The boy seemed to shrink, instead of coming to do his tasks. Remus Lupin was their friend, but still... why would he ignore him like he hadn't heard nor seen anything?

« Remus! »

« Leave him alone! » and Neville jumped a bit, startled. However he didn't didn't get his gaze off of his former professor.

« Please! You have to help me! Put an end to this... call a professor... »

But Lupin wouldn't move. He seemed ashamed, burrowing further into his book, and some students blocked Neville's gaze. He wouldn't lift it. The professor he had loved, the one to defend him, give him advice...

Was the one letting his friends's tyranny free?

« Please... »

A spell knocked him at his side, and he fell over. Shocked by the revelation, it took a time to get his surroundings again. Head spinning, his thoughts made it in pieces. But the overall was clear: Snape... Snape was being bullied, Potter was the tormentor, and Lupin was letting this happen. What about his parents? No, Neville didn't want to see them. He wouldn't check the circle, for he feared his parents' mocking smile. Snape had been a Death Eater... Snape was maybe a Death Eater at the moment, but...

Godric Gryffindor wouldn't act like this. Hell, Harry Potter wouldn't let this happening. It was hard to differentiate the two faces. He always expected a calm look on Potter's face, not a look of superiority and... and arrogance, he might say. Harry Potter was popular, even more so than James, but at least he was humble, heroic, he wouldn't bully people around, even Malfoy and the Slytherins, though he frankly hated them; instead, he would defend people like Neville. Their ressemblance confused him greatly.

But now... Now Neville realised how different they were. And he was thankfull for it. He wouldn't be a Slytherin, but he was weak enough to attract bullies around him, and if James and Black had wanted to, he was sure he would get the same treatment as Snape.

A true Gryffindor... a true Gryffindor, as people expected him to be, would stand up, master up his courage and defend anyone needing help, no matter if it was an unpopular Slytherin student who would sooner or later become a Death Eater. Who knows? Maybe the humiliations and the bullying were reasons for it.

Neville looked up, seeing the underwear going still as magic took a grip on it. _No!_ He shoved a hand down his robes' pocket, took his wand and—

His heart throbbed painfully, breath cut short. He hadn't been stunned. Well, at least not from a wand.

He hadn't realised exactly that he had fallen behind Snape, on the side... but now, as the sun rolled around the sky and cast a shadow on them through the tree, he saw lines stretched on a pale back, pink and white and thick, as if they were scars that had roughly healed. He was frozen. He could just guess the ribcage and notice how thin his professor's frame was—

« YEAH! » he heard them cheer, and Neville, wanting desperately to snap from the gory vision, gasped as though he emerged from water. He screamed:

« _Stupefy_! »

James Potter fell on some students, who tried to support him. The dark haired boy next to him crouched next to his friend, surprised, then, furious, turned slightly mad eyes on Neville, and he gulped.

« That does it. _Levicorpus_! »

Neville rolled aside, fear creeping up his chest. He was shaking so violently — Merlin, he didn't want to get laughed at and have his underwear shown to so much people, let alone have it stripped down! He was quite powerless against the trio, and without anyone moving, he had to get a professor himself. But what if he left Snape like a coward and only found him mortified, naked? No, he couldn't do that...

« _Finite_ _Incantatem_! »

« Oy! »

But Snape was still hung up mid-air. Neville just hoped his weakness wasn't the reason. He got up, ran to Snape, encaging him in his arms and pulling, trying to force the body down if magic wouldn't work...

« Sirius, that's enough! », he heard his mother complain. « He's got nothing to do with it! »

« Then why is he putting himself in our way?! He's trying to help Snivellus... »

« SHUT UP! », and Neville jumped at the boy's sudden roar. « And you, leave me alone! ». But Neville wouldn't do so. He was too catched up by his frantic attempts to free the Slytherin. He pulled and _pulled_ and, sadly, got his robes down even more, though he quickly put them right up. Yes, that was it: Neville took the long pans of clothes and covered the underwear with them, going even as far as to tie them in a knot, while the onlookers grew restless around them both. Maybe then the underwear would stay in place ? « It's alright, it's alright, I'm here to help... » he spluttered. He took his wand and croaked out a Glue Spell on the knot, voice shaking with fear and adrenaline. He just hoped they wouldn't use a Bannishing Charm to strip Snape down completely...

« Oy! We told you to leave him— »

« No, you leave him. He's done nothing wrong, look: maybe another time. We'll just discuss it with him... »

« No, I won't let you! He insulted Lily! »

« What's his problem?! Why is he helping him?! »

« He's got nothing to do with it, _and_ he's a Gryffindor. Don't... »

« Exactly! Then why is he standing up with that greasy git? Is he a friend of him? »

« No... I don't think so, but... »

The female voice trailed off. Neville stopped repeating _Finite_, listening to his mother instead. Maybe... she was finally defending him...?

« But what? » Sirius's voice was agressive.

His mother was shuffling, uneasy. Her answer was barely audible at that distance, yet Neville's heart swelled as he recognized distinct worry filling it:

« Maybe... you're going a little too far. »

At this, several people turned over to stare.

« _Too_ far? On _Snape_? Have you heard him? Have you heard him insult _your own frie_— »

« From what I recall, » Alice added softly, « you've been the one starting it. And you're three on him. »

« So what? » Sirius barked.

« So maybe you've just done enough. Free Snape and let Neville alone. Then we get back to our dorms and finish the year in peace. »

That shut everyone's mouth. A Gryffindor, Alice herself, had just spoken in defense of Snivellus against Potter and Black, and Neville didn't think he could bare the pride bursting in his belly, even allowing an shaking smile stretching the corners of his lips. His own mother was defending him, _more_! Standing up for him! Maybe he hadn't made such a fool of himself after all...

« Are you in love with Neville? »

That sounded awfully wrong in his head.

« In love with...? » Alice stammered. « Where are you getting your ideas from, Black? » Who answered :

« Well, it'd be no wonder. We just have to look at you to see your eyes fill with love. That fat boy? Really? »

Neville flinched. Alice shook her head.

« Look, it's not... I'm absolutely not in love with him... »

« Sure. »

Neville was utterly horrified.

« It's not that! Why are you changing the subject anyway? Just drop it. I mean... Drop Snape down. Mind you, I'm not excusing that bastard, but you both went too far on Neville. »

Potter suddenly came into view, and gave a... a... an handsome, mature, charming smile. Neville frowned, dishearted. _Hyprocrite_. Was he trying to flirt with his mother?

« Aw, come one, Alice. »

« Stop it. »

Potter had the nerve to shove a hand in his hair, messing it up even more, then resting it on the back of his head, his smile as horrible as ever. He dared to wink as if in complicity.

« Alright, don't worry, we won't attack Neville, but _Merlin_, Licy, make him leave. We just want a good laugh and, anyway, Snivellus deserves— »

« And I told you to stop it! Damn it Potter! Stop messing around and listen to me for once! » She stomped the soil with her foot, yet, Neville could only notice how her tone had a touch of uncertainty. Surely it was because they were friends... However that ended quickly, as Black grabbed her shoulder and shoved her back to the crowd of fangirls. That just made everything worse. Black was more impulsive than Potter, and as anti-Slytherin he was, he just thought straightforwardness was the right way to act. That only resulted in gasps from the students. They would probably excuse the bad boy later, forget that he acted out of place...

But for now, it was just the thing he shouldn't have done, and what Neville just needed him to do. As Black started to walk towards him, a hand grabbed his shoulder, pulled him round, and there was a satisfying _crack_ as a fist broke a nose. The black-haired boy fell backwards, reaching his face to prevent the blood from leaking on his robes. Frank Longbottom had just punched Black in the face, preventing more bullying.

Neville was in heavens.

Pettigrew tried to do the exact same thing to his father, but he jerked his hand off and pushed the fair-haired away, then turning his face right to Potter, who was raising his hands in an attempt to calm the situation.

« Wow, wow, calm down buddy! »

« Don't touch her, you filthy daddy's boy. »

« Excuse me? », and suddenly he put all of his facade aside, raising his wand, menacing. « Are you just being jealous, Longbottom? » He had his chin up and, tall as he was, he tried to look down on Frank, yet Neville's smile grew bigger, because if himself was taller than Harry, then Frank was as much of a beast as Sirius. Several more gasps were heard, and finally, _finally_ Snape was forgotten. Except for Neville, whose eyes widened in realisation. The Slytherin had had his head upside down for a while now, he couldn't feel very well... He lifted Snape's chest and put his hand on his neck, supporting him. He was red and sweating. His eyes were dozed off, as if dizzy. However he blurted something out. Neville put his ear over the mouth. « _Liberacorpus_... Counter-curse's... _Liberacorpus_... »

« Oh, alright, I-I'll do it...! »

Unfortunately, he wanted to support Snape if he fell, so they both _Oooff'ed_ on the ground. He shook his head. He wanted to ask if Snape was alright but he caught sight of the turmoil, a new, smaller circle around the group. A fist fight was opposing Potter and Sirius against Frank and some friends. Apparently... Gryffindor House was having a problem of loyalty. Black had just attacked someone from his own.

« See, Black, » Neville heard from afar, « you want to distance yourself from the Slytherins, but you're just like them. As stupid and dangerous to the _core_. »

More shouts escalated after the taunt. Neville didn't really understand. His actions had let to that. He just wanted to stop some bullying... and now, it was going down to a fight._I thought they were united enough...?_ He heard panting going quicker, filled with fury.

« Wait, stop! »

Snape had recovered his wand, and was approching the group, raising it. His eyes were full of mad hatred, and it was obvious he wanted revenge for being ridiculed in front of so many. Neville got to his feet, grabbed Snape's wand arm, and was met with a punch that sent him away with a few stars prickling in his vision.

« Mister Snape! » McGonagall shouted from behind.

« It's okay! It's okay Madam! I'm alright, he's... he's just... »

But the Professor wouldn't hear him. Her robes flew past him, leaving anger in her way, as some stern shrieks of orders put a stop on the fight. Silence fell on the Lake.

Finally a professor had arrived. Even if it was way too late.

She demanded explanation. The two groups argued. She asked for the other Houses to return to their dorms, leaving only the culprits, as Neville prayed for Snape not to use this opportunity to attack. However he seemed to master his boiling rage, hands clenched, shaking, digging his fingers into his palms, but at least, down at each side.

« DON'T TOUCH ME! » he yelled as Neville brushed his arm in an attempt to comfort him. He jumped and shied away for a few steps. But he wouldn't leave him. No. And while McGonagall was commanding them to come, Neville realized something.

For the first time, he had done the right thing. For the first time, and he had done what he'd never have dreamed of: he had stood up for Snape. And for once, he wasn't made a fool of himself. At least, not much.

He hoped his parents were proud.

And that Snape would be alright.

That last thought left him confused. Since when did he care? The question was futile nonetheless. Neville knew he had acted upon the sight of a bullied person. There wasn't a Harry Potter in this time. There was a James Potter, but ironically, he was the bullying one, not at all the hero we would tell he was to all children ears. James Potter was _dangerous_... He wasn't of the ones who defended the weak, or at least, it had yet to show.

Because Snape was a Slytherin, he had attacked... and Neville wasn't naive enough to think the harassment was based on legitimate reasons alone. No child should suffer this...

Was this the reason Professor Snape was so stern and bitter and bullying? Because he had been bullied himself? Oh well... Maybe he hadn't forgotten the humiliations...

For once, Neville understood. Ironic for him to be bullied by Snape then save him in return... He shrugged.

« Mister Longbottom, you will pay attention! »

Neville jerked off of his dreams, barely noticing the stiffened dismay on the Marauders' faces.

« Yes... sorry Madam. »

« Would you care to explain? »

« Ah... » and Neville threw a glance at Snape, who shot him a cold stare, « I... it was Snape.. »

« Again? » the professor exclamed, obviously exasperated.

« No Madam, I mean, it wasn't his fault! He was being hung upside down and I came to help... »

His Head of House frowned in disbelief. « Hung upside down...? »

And Neville failed to notice the Slytherin's disapproving glare.

« Well... James and Sirius... »

« He insulted Evans! » Potter protested. « He called her a _Mudblood_! »

Snape was going to get punished, it was certain. But Neville fought nonetheless, soon after.

« And what were you doing during that time, Mister Lupin? »

« I... I didn't see it, I wasn't paying attention enough. »

« You're lying! » Neville boomed, and he surprised himself from letting those words past his lips. Why was he doing this? Why was he acting strangely? He should just shut up and let it slide... He was attracting problems, like honey on bees... Yet something probbed in the back of his mind. Remus... Professor Lupin... He... Had he been— he didn't dare say it...

Had he been a _coward_?

He was disappointed. Hugely. Disillusioned, even.

He remembered. At _eleven_, Harry had been more popular than James, Ron was like his twin, Hermione was smarter, and Neville admired them, but he still stood up against them, trying to protect the house from losing more points that first year. Sure, he had been tossed aside like nothing, but, at least, he had _tried_. His parents would have been proud, he was sure of it. He could understand, of course, it must be difficult for Lupin... but... but Lupin was protected. He was their friends, for Merlin's sake! What could he fear? And Neville had asked him! Lupin was a prefect! And he had just let it go...

Somehow, that was as bad as being the one holding the culprit wand.

Neville didn't like to have more of his dreams shattered. Neville was consterned. He refused.

He hadn't wanted his view of Snape to change. He hadn't wanted for the humiliating scene to imprint itself in his head, making his skin tremoil ever so slighty.

He hadn't wanted to risk an attack.

He hadn't wanted to be the one to stand up for Snape, to put himself in danger, hadn't wanted for his body to act on its own, nor have the school turned against him, especially not Potter and Black.

He hadn't wanted to be put in danger for the next years.

That's why, even if he was thankful to have shown a behaviour he hoped was as noble as a true Gryffindor, he raised his voice:

« I called you but you would just stay there, next to the tree, ignoring me on purpose! You left us, you left your friends humiliate Snape and the crowd to laugh at us! »

Looking at Snape... was still going to be scary, but he would surely remember the boy beside him. Snape had suffered the same thing... and if Neville hadn't been there, who would have helped him? Would his pants have come off...? That was just horrible. Neville had been humiliated, but coming from a professor felt different than from students. At least Hogwarts hated Snape as a professor, except for the Slytherins, so everyone was comforting each other. The young Snape? Teachers wouldn't do anything... neither would prefects like Lupin. Worse: the students were all laughing at Snape, and the bullies getting praised on. Snape was still hated in his time, it had become his attire. But Neville couldn't imagine how you could live on with this kind of pressure upon yourself. If he had been in Snape's place, would he have cracked?

Neville sighed.

Then a memory shot through his eyelids.

The scars.

Oh Merlin... The scars he had witnessed on Snape's back... What were they? How did he get them? They weren't usual scars. They had a form of a line, cutting the flesh. They were thick enough to guess some of the wounds had been deep. There had been some bruises from his fights with the Marauders, but the scars? Could the Marauders have inflicted them on him? He suddered in horror. Had it been this _severe_?

He should talk with his Head of House as quickly as possible about this, even if he knew Snape would refuse. The scars would be evidence enough for the professors to care.

For now... he would just have to wait for the right time.


End file.
